Learning
by VixenReborn
Summary: Toph inadvertently teaches Aang a lesson with Zuko's help. Unfortunately neither of can be honest to see what it really is. Zukaang fluff, but written more from Toph's Pov


Toph wiped away the sweat that was forming on her brow. This afternoon, once lunch was over, she had managed to grab Aang. Once she had hold of him, she had dragged him up the cliff face to the top for some serious earthbending practice with her. He'd spent so much time with Zuko doing firebending only to then be whisked away by Katara for waterbending. It would be a wonder if he didn't forget it all by the time he got to the final battle. As a little extra incentive, she had invited Zuko to come and watch, but only as a spectator.

She wasn't sure if it was due to the firebender being there or from the lack of practice or even maybe the home court advantage of them being at the western air temple, but Aang was giving it all he had. There were several times that she had just barely managed to avoid something he'd sent flying her way. She had even banned all air bending, because of the huge disadvantage it gave. Still, with only earth she was going to need a nice dip in the pool after this.

Despite all that, the smirk never left her face. This had been too much fun. She had managed to get a real work out and had discovered the effects that firebending were having on his earthbending. All the trouble that she had gone through to get him to face that boulder were long in the past.

Aang was managing to come all into his own. While he was still very anti violence, he was all about a good round of sparring and practice. One he started, he didn't let go. He wasn't going to give up. Toph had a feeling that a lot of that was thanks to some of Zuko rubbing off on him. It seemed that his fire training was teaching him a lot more then just bending. Her smirk widened.

The heart beat coming from Zuko as he sat on the ground a short distance away watching her shirtless pupil give it his all, was more then enough to confirm that Aang had been wearing off on the firebender as well. She would have enough grounds to torture him for a week after this. Her thoughts wondered for a second before a new idea struck her. Why settle for one when you can have two?

The sun was starting its decent out of the sky. She could feel most of the heat leaving her. Training would be over very shortly, which meant it was an all or nothing move. That's all she'd have time for and she'd have to fight a little dirty to get it to work, but that had never stopped her before. He stood about twenty feet from her. It would be a long shot, but sure was worth the try.

Faking right, she turned and rushed him, but she would have some distance to cover. Aang pulled from the earth trying to throw things to stop her and shook the ground beneath her trying to stop her movements, but he wasn't quick enough. She managed to dodge a boulder to the left and swinging wider left she missed the next. She dove right, rolled, and sprung up only to kept running for him. She nearly missed her footing as the ground began to move beneath her, but she was moving too quick for it to keep up. There was one last defense, the one Aang constantly kept in front of himself. He could spring a rock wall, rise ten feet up or anything, but she was ready for that.

When she began to close in on him she slowed her pace. A surprise that left Aang guessing, but not good enough to drop his defenses. That made her feel proud of him. He pulled up a boulder and had it mid air, ready to launch when she knew that it was now or never. She twisted her body to the side, facing Zuko and slammed her foot into the ground. Across their "arena" Zuko who had been sitting crossed legged, lost his balance and fell backward with a yell as a rock shot up beneath the front of his legs tipping him. At Zuko's yell, Aang lost all concentration, the rock fell harmlessly to the ground and every last defense he had was down. Toph used that moment to strike.

Aang had turned to face Zuko and before he knew it, his field of vision was cut off as a rock slab popped up in front of him. When he turned to go from a different angle, another slab appeared, followed by two more that closed him in. He went to air bend his way out the top, but was stopped as one last one fell over the top trapping him perfectly in the rock box.

Before he could figure out the best way to bend himself out of their, he heard Zuko's voice yelling for them to wait.

"Don't release him Toph. This is probably the best lesson for him to learn today. Aang, don't come out till you have it figured out," Zuko said.

"Have what figured out? That Toph cheats? I already knew that," Aang replied.

"We all knew that Toph fights dirty. That's why it's probably best this lesson came from her. Aang, what happened back there? You had her with no place to go. Why did you lose?" Zuko questioned laying a hand on the stone box.

A sigh came from within the box before Aang voiced, "I lost my focus. I just got tired of this training exercise, I let my thoughts slip and wound up in a box."

"Well, at least you have that part figured out Twinkle Toes," Toph said before moving to drop the box. Her hand was caught by Zuko's free one though. He slowly lowered it to her side and she knew that he hadn't spoken all he needed to yet.

Zuko's voice came out strained as he said, "Aang, the fire lord fights dirty too. He'll use your friends against you and he wont hesitate to attack them if he thinks he can draw your fire away from him. You can't let what happened here ever happen again. If you have a shot to make and you have to take it and not worry about … your friends."

Inside the box, Aang's clutched his fist and hit at the stone box. He let his fist open against the wall and his palm slid a few inches along it before stopping to rest. He moved to lean his forehead against the same slab.

"How can you say that? Can you honestly believe I could just give them up like that? That I would be alright just letting them get struck like that and watching them fall before my eyes?" Aang voice cracked with his questions as his emotion bleed into his voice.

Moving his hand to his side, Zuko turned his back on the box again and said before walking away, "Your the Avatar, your the hope of the world. With out you there is nothing."

Toph's ear's barely managed to pick up Aang's mumbled words saying, "The Avatar can be reborn, but with out you guys there is no hope for the Avatar.

A sigh escaped Toph's lips as she opened the box and let Aang out. As she convinced him to go get cleaned up so they could look for some dinner all she could think, "The earth is far more honest then you two."


End file.
